1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data recording and reproducing apparatus, and a method for recording and reproducing data. Specifically, when a plurality of time-ordered data groups are recorded into a recording medium to which random access is possible, link controlling information for indicating a link between the plurality of time-ordered data groups is produced from first time information of the time-ordered data groups. A data group is input data that is grouped together in a specific order with respect to predetermined time codes. Hereinafter, these data groups will be referred to as time-ordered data groups. The first time information merely refers to a time associated with the location or position of the data groups in a memory. When a first position in the plurality of time-ordered data groups is detected by the first time information, the first detected position is linked in a continuous manner by use of the link controlling information to a second detected position that contains the second time information. Then, the recording or reproducing is performed continuously from the first position indicated by the first time information to the second position indicated by the second time information.
2. Description of the Related Art
An apparatus called an Audio/Video (AV) Server is becoming commonplace in broadcasting stations. The AV server has been conventionally used for the purpose of recording, editing, and transmitting video images on a recording medium, such as hard disk, to which random access is possible. The use of an AV server makes it possible, at the time of cue up operation, for example, to directly read the recorded data from any position on the recording medium, without the need for sequentially reading the time codes recorded on a tape and finding out the portion which coincides with the specified time code information, as is the case in a conventional video tape recorder. By using an AV server, an immediate cue up operation is possible, regardless of the position where the cue up operation is performed.
In a conventional AV server, time codes are controlled based on their relative positions from the initial position or location of the file. When video and/or audio data are recorded, the following problem may arise if one file is produced by performing one or more of several processing operations, such as repeating recording, stopping, and recording. That is, time codes become discontinuous within one file because the recording operation is not continuously performed. Such a discontinuity in time codes, however, causes no problem in a video tape recorder for the following reason. In the video tape recorder, the time codes which are recorded on the tape are read to specify the cue up position. Then, desired data can be output in a correct manner, without being influenced by the discontinuity of the time codes.
In contrast, in the AV server, time codes are controlled based on their relative positions from the initial position or location the file. Therefore, if a discontinuity in the time codes has occurred in the AV server, it becomes impossible to read the desired data. If the AV server is constructed in the same manner as the video tape recorder, where the recorded time codes are sequentially read to specify their correct positions, an immediate cue up operation becomes impossible. In this case, the advantage of using the recording medium to which random access is possible is unavailable.
The object of the present invention is to provide a data recording and reproducing apparatus capable of recording or reproducing data groups by linking divided data correctly within a hard disk, and a method for recording and reproducing such divided data.
In an aspect of the present invention, a data recording and reproducing apparatus includes: an input and output processing device for recording a plurality of time-ordered data groups which have been input into a recording medium to which random access is possible, or for reading from the recording medium the plurality of time-ordered data groups to be output; and a controlling device for producing link controlling information for indicating a link between the plurality of time-ordered data groups from the first time information of the time-ordered data group which has been recorded on the recording medium, and for keeping track of the positions of the plurality of time-ordered data groups by using the link controlling information. When a first position of the plurality of time-ordered data groups is detected by the first time information, the controlling device links the detected first position in a continuous manner to a second detected position indicated by second time information. The input and output processing device performs recording or reproducing of data groups by linking divided data of the first and second detected positions correctly within a hard disk.
In another aspect of the present invention, a data recording and reproducing apparatus includes: an input and output processing device for recording a plurality of time-ordered data groups which have been input into a recording medium to which random access is possible, or for reading out from the recording medium the plurality of time-ordered data groups to be output within an allocated processing period; and a controlling device for producing link controlling information for indicating a link between the plurality of time-ordered data groups from the first time information of the time-ordered data group which has been recorded on the recording medium, and for keeping track of the positions of the plurality of time-ordered data groups by using the link controlling information. When a first position of the plurality of time-ordered data groups is detected by the first time information, the controlling device, by using the link controlling information, detects a second position which is linked in a continuous manner to the first detected position by the second time information.
When a new position is detected, the controlling device detects a next position which is indicated by the second time information and corresponds to the new position detected by the first time information. The input and output processing device performs recording or reproducing of data groups by linking divided data of the first and second detected positions correctly within a hard disk.
In still another aspect of the present invention, a method for recording and reproducing data includes the steps of: when a plurality of time-ordered data groups are recorded onto a recording medium to which random access is possible, producing link controlling information for indicating a link between the plurality of time-ordered data groups from the first time information of the time-ordered data group; when a first position in the plurality of data groups is detected by the first time information, by using the link controlling information, the detected position is linked in a continuous manner to a second detected position by the second time information.
In still another aspect of the present invention, a method for recording and reproducing data includes the steps of: when a plurality of time-ordered data groups is recorded onto a recording medium to which random access is possible within an allocated processing period, producing link controlling information for indicating a link between the plurality of time-ordered data groups from the first time information of the time-ordered data group; when a first position in the plurality of data groups is detected by the first time information, by using the link controlling information, the detected position is linked in a continuous manner to a second detected position by the second time information and corresponds to the position which has been newly detected by the first time information, based on the current position; and the second detected position detected by the second time information.
In still another aspect of the present invention, in the data recording and reproducing apparatus and the method for recording and reproducing data, data is recorded and reproduced within an allocated processing period.
In the present invention, when a plurality of time-ordered data groups such as video and/or music data are recorded on a recording medium such as hard disk to which random access is possible, file controlling information for indicating the link between the plurality of time-ordered data groups is produced from the longitudinal time code and/or vertical interval time code. A longitudinal time code (LTC) is a timing signal that is part of an audio tape recording. It is recorded on a track that runs lengthwise along the tape, which is why it is called longitudinal. The vertical interval time code (VITC) is a timing signal that is part of a video recording. Its is recorded in the vertical blanking intervals between successive frames, hence the xe2x80x9cvertical interval.xe2x80x9d
When the reproduction position is detected by the time code of a time-ordered data group of a first time information, for example, the detected position is linked in a continuous manner by using the link information to a second detected position that contains a second data information.
When the detected position is linked to a relative position from the initial position or location of the file, and a new reproduction position is additionally detected, a relative position is detected within the continuous areas of the longitudinal time code and/or vertical interval time code containing the closest relative position and the current reproduction position based on the current reproduction position. Then, positioning to the detected relative position is performed.